US Envoy Arrives in Beijing for Talks

U.S. envoy on North Korea, Glyn Davies answers reporter's questions after meeting with South Korea's chief nuclear envoy Lim Sung-nam and Lim's Japanese counterpart Shinsuke Sugiyama at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, May 21, 2012. The top U.S. envoy for North Korea is warning Pyongyang that any nuclear test will be met with "swift and sure" international punishment. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

The U.S. special envoy on North Korea policy Glyn Davies arrived in Beijing on Friday (January 25) to meet with his Chinese counterpart amid escalated tensions on the Korean peninsula.

The reclusive North has this week declared a boycott of all dialogue aimed at ending its nuclear program and vowed to conduct more rocket and nuclear tests after the Security Council censured it for a December long-range missile launch.

It also threatened to attack rival South Korea if Seoul joined the new round of tightened U.N. sanctions, as Washington unveiled more of its own economic restrictions following Pyongyang's rocket launch last month.

After meeting with his South Korean counterpart Kun Sung-nam in Seoul on Thursday (January 24), Davies had urged Pyongyang not carry out the test.

China called again on Friday on all parties involved in the dispute over North Korea's rocket and proposed nuclear weapons test to remain calm and avoid any actions that could increase tension.

"At present the situation on the Korean peninsula is complicated and sensitive. We hope relevant parties can remain calm, enhance dialogue, avoid actions that could escalate the situation, and jointly safeguard peace and stability of the Korean peninsula," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei told a regular news conference in Beijing.

China is the North's only major diplomatic ally, though it agreed to U.N. sanctions against Pyongyang following North Korea's 2006 and 2009 nuclear tests.

North Korea is already banned under Security Council resolutions from developing nuclear and missile technology but has been working steadily on its nuclear test site, possibly in preparation for a third nuclear test, satellite images show.

December's successful long-range rocket launch, the first to put a satellite in orbit, was a coup for North Korea's young leader Kim Jong-un.

After his Beijing leg, Davies is scheduled to fly to Tokyo on Saturday (January 26).

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